Naughty and Nice Holiday Ads From Around the World

December 19, 2016

There is one good thing about the commercialization of Christmas—and that’s the commercials. And some of the best holiday ads can be found online where advertisers don’t have to buy time in 15-second increments. They have time to play and tell longer stories.

Like this example — from clothier H&M —which appeared just in time for the 2016 Holiday season . They bagged legendary director Wes Anderson (think The Royal Tenenbaums or The Life Aquatic) and his favourite star, Adrien Brody (Other projects with Anderson include Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Darjeeling Limited) to create an extremely festive Holiday ad that feels like a sequel to the Darjeeling Limited – a movie in which three brothers travel across India by train in an attempt to bond with one another. The ad subtly features H&M products from start to finish, without hitting you over the head with them.

This ad really stands out with a strong entertainment factor, awesome style, a great emotional tug, and an unparalleled ability to make you feel “warm and fuzzy.” I watched it for the first time on a Monday morning in my Florida apartment, and it momentarily fooled me into thinking I needed to put on a sweater and curl up in a blanket. A glance outside my window re-confirmed that it was a sunny 82° and I should probably stick to my shorts and t-shirt.

Here are a few more favorites… from around the globe.

I’ve really been enjoying this spot from Polish online shopping company Allegro (The eBay of Poland). It features an elderly man trying to learn English for a very important reason.

*Warning – it might make you cry. It’s the good kind of cry though.

This sweetest of ads comes from Germany’s largest supermarket chain Edeka, and is a reminder of what’s really important. The Christmas Market moment is particularly sad given the news out of Berlin.

Of course I have to include the lovely (and always anticipated) Christmas ad from UK retailer John Lewis. This annual ad is a cultural institution.

The annual ad is such an institution that this year’s was popular enough to inspire a (painful!) parody that itself received 1.5 million YouTube views.